Easy Tips on How To Prepare Your Kids for Exams

Today happens to be the first day of examinations for the second grading period of my son in pre-school. He had English and Filipino today which was quite confusing for him since he had to differentiate when to call a dog a dog and a dog an “aso”. It was also hard for me to explain that when its English time, you call a fan, a fan and when it’s time for Filipino you call it an “abaniko”. Well, I am pretty sure that I will encounter plenty more of this in the coming months of pre-school.

I had to admit that it was quite difficult to teach children at his age. Some kids are interested in learning, others are not and others are not yet focused when it comes to school work. In my case, my son is not yet really focused when it comes to school work at home and his attention span when it comes to studying is quite shorter compared to my younger kid.

Thus, I had to device a way to be able to teach and prepare him for his examinations without inflicting stress to my child and without stressing myself as well.

Dedicate a time for studying

It is really hard to discipline a child when it comes to studying time because they are used to playing or doing the things that they like whenever they please. Allow your child to adapt to a specific time for studying by adjusting your habits and activities at home. If you would want to set pre-dinner time as your time for review and studying, you might want to turn the television of and prepare dinner earlier than usual and make it a habit. You cannot encourage your child to learn if you are busy with something else or if you are multi-tasking. This is a little sacrifice that you have to do for your child to be able to stick to a schedule.

Make study time interesting and fun

Children in preschool are usually interested with sounds, colors and fun activity. You should find creative ways in making your study sessions fun and educational at the same time to be able to keep their focus and get their full attention. I usually print review materials like pictures and test online to provide them with something colorful and “attention grabbing” during our study sessions. You can check out HaveFunTeaching.com for helpful materials and printables you can use for your study sessions.

Watch videos online

YouTube has a lot of interesting and educational channels for kids. Again, children, the younger ones are more interested with colors and sounds. You can basically review your kids on the alphabet, counting, science, the bible and even in Filipino via YouTube videos. Bounce Patrol Kids is one of my favorite YouTube channels when it comes to teaching the alphabet.

The Reward System

Most kids do things because a reward is waiting for them at the end. This might sound unproductive to some. It is when you promise your children with material things. It is not when you offer other things or activities as your reward. I usually promise my child extra time to play under the shower if he does good at school or I commit to spend the weekends teaching him to create clay items. You can give your time as your reward to your children whenever they fulfill the end of the bargain when it comes to studying.

Kids differ when it comes to how they approach studying. Do not compare how your child performs with the other kids they go to school with because it can damage their self-confidence. Find ways that works for your child and you as a parent should do the necessary adjustments. Things will get easier as your child adjust to schooling. For the meantime, make his experiences in studying, fun, productive and nourishing by giving your best.